Dress shield



'April 5, 1938. E. w. STANDLEY DRESS SHIELD Filed Feb. 10, 1957 Patented Apr. 5, 1938 PATENT OFFICE DRESS SHIELD Eleanor W. Standley, Watertown, N. Y.

Application FebruarylO, 1937, Serial No. 125,146

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to dress shields,

and has for an object to provide an improved device of this character which may be quickly and easily attached to, and removed from, a garment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shield of this kind in which the means for detachably attaching the shield proper to the garment is permanently fixed to the garment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a shield in which the greatest protection afforded at the area of greatest amount of perspiration.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a shield 'of this kind in which there a minimum of strain on the fastening means itself and on the means for fixing the fastening means to the garment.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved shield of this kind in which the garment on which the shield is worn and the shield are united directly to one another without the use of any intermediate connections, and in which the shield and its attaching means accommodate themselves to the movements of the body and arms of the wearerof the device.

The present invention also aims to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction, comprises relatively few parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and is durable in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View,

the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts through the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a dress and showing in dotted lines a dress shield constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a shield constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown applied to a dress.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the shield proper. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the shield proper in folded position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

The shield'B is made in any usual way, comprising two layers or thicknesses I9 and I I of any material suitable for this purpose, such as rubberized silk. These layers have their edges inturned as indicated at I2 and secured together by stitching I3. 5

It will be noted from an inspection of Figures 2 and 3 that the layers It and II are in the present instance substantially oval shaped and that the layers of material are adapted to be folded along the line M as is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4. Openings I5are provided in the shield through both layers III and I I, adjacent opposite sides thereof and approximately on the minor axis of said shield, which axis coincides with the fold line l4. Additional openings I6 are also provided in the shield located to one'side of its major axis and adjacent the opposite ends thereof. These openings I6 are offset to the same side of such major axis and an appreciable distance therefrom. The material of the layers It and I I may be reinforced adjacent the openings l5 and I6 by means of stitching I1.

Each of the attaching elements C comprises a loop I8 of elastic material which has its free ends' received between ends of tapes I8 and 20 and these ends of the tapes and the loop are secured together by means of stitches 2|. The tape I9 carries one member 22 of a snap fastener. The tape 20 may be longer than the tape I9 and is adapted to be threaded through one of the openings l or IE of the shield and is then folded upon itself to bring opposite said member 22 the other member 23 of the fastener which is carried by the tape 20. The free end of tape 20 may be folded upon itself as indicated at 24.

In order to produce this infolded part the end portion 24 of the tape is lengthened from the point of the tape that carries the fastener member 23 to the free end of such tape. Otherwise stated the fastener part 23 is set inwardly from the free end of the tape an appreciable distance, that is a distance sufficient to produce an infolded end portion 24 overlying the fastener part and preferably extending therebeyond in a direction away from the bight 38 of the folded tape portion, whereby the reinforced edge 3| may be offset from the fastener and this edge 3! ofiers an abutment due to its increased thickness which is pressed upon by the outer run of the tape 20 when that run is drawn taut by straining of the garment and sleeve due to movement of the wearer. The bulk of the fastener partsunder such strain tends to react on the tape in one direction which might result in undoing of the fastener, but which reaction is resisted by the bulk of the reinforced edge3l.

In the present embodiment of the invention attaching elements are shown permanently secured to the front sleeve seam 25, the back sleeve seam 26, the underarm sleeve seam 21, and the underarm dress seam 28. The attaching elements are secured to the seams by having the elastic loops sewed to the seams as at 29. It will be noted that the attaching element C secured to the front sleeve seam 25 is threaded through the opening l5 of the shield which is furthest from the openings IS. The other opening l5 has threaded therethrough the element C which is attached to the back sleeve seam and the elements C secured to the underarm sleeve seam and the underarm dress seam are threaded through the openings 16, respectively.

It will be observed that, due to the location of the points of connection of the fastening elements C to the garment and the shield, a major portion ofthe shield is disposed at the front of the dress where the greatest amount of perspiration takes place. Inasmuch as the points of connection G and H at the openings [6 are closer to the point of connection K of the shield to the back sleeve seam 26 there is more material of the shield lying between the openings l6 and the point M of attachment of the shield to the front sleeve sea-m than there is between the openings l6 and'the point K of attachment of the shield to the rear sleeve seam. In the normal wearing of the shield this material is more or less puckered up.

However, in the event a strain is placed upon the shield along the line DE, which lies at the bottoms of the troughs formed by the shield when fitted to the arm and body of the wearer, the greater portion of this strain will traverse the lesser amount of material of the shield and be absorbed by the connecting element C attached at the point K to the back sleeve seam. The remainder of this strain will be taken up by the greater amount'of material of the shield at the front of the dress without bodily moving the shield away from the front of the dress.

It will be noted that each element C is made of two different materials, namely, the tapes l9 and and the elastic loops I8, and that the shield is held in suspended or floated position by the elements C, the elastic loops of which are the only connection between the garment and the shield. Therefore, any perspiration which may be absorbed by the tapes l9 and 20 will scarcely reach the garment since it will be compelled also to pass along the loops l8 before reaching the stitching 29 and the garment. The provision of the elastic loops permits free movement of the arm and body of the wearer without displacing the shield and without danger of ripping the attaching elements from place and without tearing the dress, since the elements C are secured to the seams of the dress and sleeve.

Due to the position of the snaps on the tapes there is an absence of pull between the parts of the snaps which results in a more secure fastening and the snaps last longer as there is very little friction between the parts. A set of fastening elements C may be permanently secured to the dress and the shield detachably attached to the elements so that when a shield becomes soiled it may be removed and washed or if unfit for further use it may be quickly removed and a fresh one substituted, so that once a dress has been equipped with the elements C it is only necessary to purchase the shields B, thereby effecting a saving in cost.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a shield having openings therethrough, a plurality of attaching elements each comprising an elastic loop sewed to a dress, a pair of tapes receiving the free ends of the loop therebetween at one end, stitching passing through the ends of the loop and the tapes, one member of a snap fastener carried by one of said tapes, the other of said tapes being longer than the first tape and adapted to be threaded through an opening in the shield and then folded upon itself, and another member of the snap fastener carried by the folded portion of the second tape.

2. A device of the character described comprising a shield having openings therethrough, a plurality of attaching elements each comprising an elastic loop sewed to a dress, a pair of tapes receiving the free ends of the loop therebetween at one end, stitching passing through the ends of the loop and the tapes, one member of a snap fastener carried by one of said tapes, the other of said tapes being longer than the first tape and adapted to be threaded through an opening in the shield and then folded upon itself, and the other member of the snap fastener carried by the folded portion of the second tape, the second tape having its free end extended beyond the point at which the fastener is attached and infolded so as to overlie the fastener member, said infolded part having a reinforced edge disposed between the shield and snap fastener.

3. A device of the character described comprising a shield having openings therethrough, a plurality of attaching elements each comprising a loop secured to a dress, a pair of tapes receiving the free ends of the loop therebetween at one end, securing means passing through the ends of the loop and the tapes, one member of a fastening means carried by one of said tapes,

the other of said tapes being longer than the first tape and adapted to be threaded through an opening in the shield and then folded upon itself, and another member of the fastening means carried by the folded portion of the second tape.

4. A device of the character described comprising an oval shaped shield having a pair of openings both disposed to one side of the major axis of the shield, a plurality of attaching elements each comprising a loop secured to a dress, a pair of tapes receiving the free ends of the loop therebetween at one end, securing means passing through the ends of the loop and the tapes, one member of a fastening means carried by one of said tapes, the other of said tapes being longer than the first tape and adapted to be threaded through an opening in the shield and then folded upon itself, and another member of the fastening means carried by the folded portion of the second tape.

ELEANOR. W. STANDLEY. 

